Week 10 – Cultural

Having now spent ten weeks in Zambia, I am finding it difficult to decipher aspects of the Zambian culture from my own, as I have been totally immersed in the local way of life for such a long period of time.

It has been with the arrival of Sam – Jade’s boyfriend – and being able to hear our strong native accent, witness some of my local customs and watch the confusion and shock on his face in certain situation that I have had the opportunity to reflect upon a range of Zambia customs that I was unaware I had developed. To begin, I have adopted a number of Zambian phrases, such as “How has been your day?” ­ - a common questions asked when you meet someone – and “You are most welcome”, alongside a series of noises which represent words in the local Chitonga language. Furthermore, I have received odd looks from Sam and the locals as a bend my knees and clap my hands twice when saying thank you, a Tonga tradition. On top of this, I have become accustom the relaxed African way of life and will now not think twice about waiting an hour to find transport or having plans change at the last minute. With the customs I have developed and many more that I will be unaware of until I reach home, the locals have adopted me as a true Zambian girl, even providing me with a Tonga name – Motinta - which I now  find myself answering too. This week we were able to take advantage of being Zambian using our Study Permits to visit The Falls at a resident’s rate, to witness a Lunar rainbow.

There are a number of Zambian traditions and experiences which I am unsure I will ever grow accustom too and will always be amazed by, such as the local animals and the local people’s resourcefulness and skills.

Having lived in Northern Ireland all my life, the only wild animals I have had the pleasure of encountering are rabbits, foxes and owls. However, it is highly common in Zambia to causally run into a herd of elephants crossing the main road, have dinner in a five star hotel with monkeys dropping in for a visit and getting up close a personal with Zebras whist relaxing at a local hotel. For me, this is incredible and something I love to see, however, many of the locals disagree as they feel the danger and damage they cause outweighs their beauty. I had never considered the animals in this way before, as I was so caught up in how extraordinary they were, but having seen the destruction they cause to people’s lives I now have a empathy with the locals. 

 

 

Over the past ten weeks, I have come to realise that the people of Zambia are highly creative, resourceful and skilful in many ways. For example, there is no need of fancy billboards when advertisements can be painted on walls with incredible detail and the fact that nothing is ever broken beyond repair, it can always be mended or recycled. The above are qualities which I hope I can bring back to Northern Ireland, as “when you learn something... from a culture, you accept it as a gift, and it is your lifelong commitment to preserve it and build on it” (Yo-Yo Ma, N.D) and I wish to pass this concept onto my future pupils.

I truly believe that my experience of Zambian culture has provided me with a sound understanding of the African way of life and has really allowed me to develop the GTCNI’s eight competence (GTCNI, 2010)

References

General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (2010) Teaching: The Reflective Profession, GTCNI, Belfast.

Yo-Yo Ma, C (N.D) Diversity Quotes, available at http://www.culturecoach.biz/Quotes/diversityquotes.html (accessed on 07/04/13).